# Chapter 26: Lamb and Assimilation
Within the rear courtyard of the royal palace, a massive contingent of Black Armor Guards had sealed off the area, packed nearly shoulder to shoulder.
Layers of semi-transparent barriers were erected outside, resembling inverted large bowls. These barriers were actually spherical, half above ground and half below, preventing enemies from escaping by burrowing underground.
If the City Guard, also known as Silver Armor Guards, were the elite among elven soldiers, then the Black Armor Guards were the elite of the elite, guarding the royal palace and protecting the center of elven power.
At this moment, at least 20,000 Black Armor Guards were besieged within the barrier, completely surrounding the Kingdom Council Hall.
Outside the barrier, Su Xiao stood on the steps behind the royal hall, with the Elf King and five royal descendants not far from him.
From this vantage point, the situation inside the barrier was completely visible. It seemed that before long, Shenfu and Xianji and the others would break out of the royal council hall and rush into the misty rear courtyard.
In addition to the 20,000 Black Armor soldiers inside the barrier, there were another 10,000 Black Armor Guards and nearly 70,000 City Guards on standby outside the barrier. This was a precaution—if the situation inside the barrier went wrong, an entrance would be opened to allow soldiers to charge in.
Inside the Kingdom Council Hall, a large group of Black Armor Guards had Shenfu and the others cornered. Shenfu's expression remained calm as ever, or rather, even if he were to face death in the next second, he would not show any fear. Would someone who dared to covet the power of an ancient god fear death?
Xianji, Minglang, and Tieshan were not as calm as Shenfu. Their expressions were grim, and Xianji asked:
"Shenfu, this isn't a council ruling at all. This is a trap."
"Yes, you're smarter than you were just now."
"At a time like this, don't spout meaningless nonsense. Let's fight our way out together."
Xianji's rear skirt gradually extended, splitting apart into numerous sash-like strands wrapped around weapons. Many weapons hung behind her, blade tips pointing forward, gleaming coldly. At first glance, it looked like Xianji had hundreds of light, slender stinging tails.
"You say... let's fight our way out together?"
Shenfu turned his head slightly, looking at Xianji with some suspicion.
"Is there a problem?"
Xianji's voice had already taken on a cold edge. At a time like this, if Shenfu still planned to stab her in the back, she wouldn't mind stabbing him first.
"Xianji, you might be misunderstanding something. I can give you... 15 minutes. Within 15 minutes, if you can break out of the barrier, I guarantee you'll survive. If you can't break out within 15 minutes, I'll have to step in. To be honest, I'm just a clergy member—I'm not good at fighting."
Shenfu's words left Xianji, Minglang, and Tieshan unable to comprehend.
"At a time like this..."
Xianji was getting angry.
"Xianji, if you survive this time, think more carefully in the future. I'm not acting because I want to give you a chance to live. Right now, I'm connected to over a hundred life souls. You wouldn't want to join forces with me in this sealed barrier, would you? Go ahead, you have 15 minutes. After you break out of the barrier, I'll lead you out of Bay City alive."
After saying this, Shenfu took an hourglass from his pocket, set it on the table, then leaned back in his chair, preparing to take a short rest.
Xianji snorted lightly. She felt that Shenfu had entered the wrong paradise—his demeanor was too similar to those from Reincarnation Paradise.
"Are all you psychopaths from Reincarnation Paradise like this?"
Xianji looked at Minglang.
"Cough~, some are. Don't look at me like that—I'm pretty normal."
"Stop chatting, you two. Those armored soldiers are pressing in."
Tieshan's body turned metallic, and a shield appeared on his left arm. He roared and charged toward the Black Armor Guards, very brave.
Boom!
A dull sound came from inside the Kingdom Hall, followed by dense shouts of battle.
Five minutes later.
Puchi, puchi, puchi...
Dense chopping sounds came from the entrance of the Kingdom Council Hall. After a shockwave explosion, the metal door and the walls on both sides shattered, sending large pieces of flesh, minced meat, and twisted corpses flying out.
Further inside, Minglang exhaled cold mist. He was now in a werewolf form, with black fur that drifted on its own. Among these drifting hairs, about 10 centimeters long, faint arcs of electricity flickered.
Crack.
Minglang crushed a head in his hand. The headless Black Armor Guard's corpse fell to the ground, and his spear clattered onto the stone slab. This spear was about three meters long, with a slender blade and serrated barbs on both sides.
This was the characteristic of Black Armor Guard weapons. As the royal palace guards, the enemies they faced were mostly powerful individuals who had infiltrated. Such long weapons, with serrated barbs on both sides, were well-suited for surrounding and attacking strong opponents.
Inside the riddled Kingdom Council Hall, a strong figure was pinned to the wall by over a dozen spears. It was Tieshan. Under the siege of the Black Armor Guards, he was the first to fall.
In the rear courtyard, amidst the siege of a large group of Black Armor Guards, Minglang and Xianji stood back to back. Between them stood Shenfu, with a kind expression.
From the start of the battle until now, Shenfu had never acted. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't. Once he acted within the barrier, Xianji and Minglang would surely die. This time, Shenfu indeed hadn't betrayed his teammates.
Zheng, zheng, zheng...
Sharp rays flashed in front of Xianji. Starting from her, all enemies charging from the front and the 240-degree arc to her left and right were all sliced apart. Such a wide killing angle greatly reduced the pressure on Minglang, who had his back to Xianji.
Minglang's height had already reached nearly four meters. With his wolf-like upper body, his wolf-like legs looked somewhat thin.
Bang.
Minglang punched a group of spears thrust at him, sending several Black Armor Guards flying back. Taking this opportunity, Minglang grabbed a Black Armor Guard, and his wolf mouth, full of sharp teeth, bit into the opponent's neck and half of his chest. After a terrifying sucking sound, the Black Armor Guard in his hand turned into a dried husk.
Absorbing a large amount of life force, the wounds on Minglang's chest and abdomen quickly healed. He had discovered when he first fought these Black Armor Guards that they not only had strong attack power but also formidable defense. More importantly, they were fearless and exceptionally brave.
"Kill!"
The surrounding Black Armor Guards shouted in unison. Black light surged from their bodies, and they held their spears at their waists, forming a circular battle formation to surround Xianji and Minglang.
The first ring of Black Armor Guards thrust their spears in unison. The Black Armor Guards behind them leaped into the air, throwing their spears from mid-air. Those further back did the same.
Xianji and Minglang found the surroundings darkening as spears filled the space. Minglang looked up at the light above but didn't see the sky—only the faint glimmer of the barrier.
Amidst the sound of breaking wind, spears flew in. All of Xianji's sashes coiled and tightened, then expanded and slashed.
After a crisp clattering sound, most of the spears that had come from the surroundings were swept away.
Slap!
A spear shockwave, thrown by a Black Armor Guard captain, sent Minglang flying.
Minglang landed in a half-crouch position. Xianji, a dozen meters away, didn't hesitate and immediately rushed toward Minglang. Both knew that only by sticking together could they possibly break out.
Unfortunately, everything was already destined from the start of this ruling. The Black Armor Guards formed two battle groups, separating Xianji and Minglang.
A few minutes later, a roar mixed with sound waves spread out. Looking at Minglang now, his black fur was matted with blood, several spears were stuck in his body, and six or seven bone-piercing nails connected to chains were embedded in him. Each chain was pulled by a dozen Black Armor Guards, nearly immobilizing Minglang.
"Kill!"
The Black Armor Guards, with grim expressions, thrust their spears at Minglang. Minglang tried to dodge, but his left arm and right leg were pulled by the chains, causing him to kneel on one knee.
'Hey, half-werewolf over there, want to come with me to Treeborn World and join the fun?'
'Scram.'
'Your quality needs improvement. Since I have nothing to do, let me tell you about my plan.'
Minglang recalled the scene when Huishenshi had approached him earlier.
'I wish you... success.'
Minglang said softly. The next second, a spear pierced through his head, then his chest and abdomen, finally pinning him to the ground.
Not far away.
"Ah!!"
A shout came from amidst the siege of Black Armor Guards. Xianji's aura fully exploded. Sashes wrapped around weapons flailed menacingly, gleaming coldly in the mist. Unfortunately, Xianji's shout was quickly drowned out by the battle cries of the Black Armor Guards.
Outside the barrier, Su Xiao watched this scene and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. This scene reminded him of something. After a moment of recollection, he remembered that when Feishi was surrounded and killed, it seemed to be a similar unwillingness. History always repeats itself in such striking ways.
"Kukulin Bai Ye!"
Xianji, her clothes stained with blood, charged toward Su Xiao. Icy white flames ignited on her body—she was burning her primordial life force.
Dong!
A dull sound came from in front of Su Xiao. He stood outside the barrier as weapons wrapped in sashes struck the inner wall of the barrier. Many of these weapons already had cracks.
Separated by only one layer of barrier, Xianji inside glared at Su Xiao. She pressed one hand against the inner wall of the barrier, slowly clawing downward, producing a screeching sound like glass being scratched.
Puchi!
A thrown spear came from behind, piercing through Xianji's back. But she didn't turn around. The Black Armor Guards were incredibly strong, all having endured the erosion of abyssal power. In the Elf Kingdom, elite individuals were never lacking. The fact that Xianji and the others had held out this long was already impressive.
"I'll be waiting for you in hell. The next to die... is you."
After saying this, Xianji took a big step back. Sashes wrapped around weapons enveloped her, then formed a spiral and twisted violently, like a huge flower blooming. Blood mist drifted out from within.
Xianji was dead. She had used her own ability to shred herself to pieces. This woman was not only ruthless to her enemies but also to herself.
Xianji, Minglang, and Tieshan were all dead, leaving only Shenfu. He now stood surrounded by Black Armor Guards, with spears pressed against his neck and his hands bound in shackles.
"Young man, do you have any family?"
Shenfu spoke to the Black Armor Guard who was putting shackles on his feet, but was ignored by the guard.
"You should cherish life, have faith in the gods, but don't be like me—accidentally devouring the god you believed in."
Hearing this, the Black Armor Guard putting shackles on his feet remained unmoved.
"God says, all evil in this world originates from me."
As Shenfu spoke, his ten fingers interlaced and clasped together. He took a step forward.
Seeing Shenfu's suspicious action, the Black Armor Guard captain naturally didn't hold back. He swept his spear blade and cut off Shenfu's head.
Shenfu's head was separated from his body. A new head quickly regenerated from his severed neck. Even more exaggeratedly, Shenfu's head, which hadn't yet hit the ground, began to regenerate a torso and limbs from that starting point, eventually forming a deathly white robe.
This clothing was a long robe, seemingly made of layers of dried skin, very eerie and sinister.
The Shenfu who had split into two still clasped his hands. They stood back to back, walking in different directions.
Seeing this, the Black Armor Guard captains ordered their subordinates to stop and retreat, forming a circle.
The Black Armor Guards were afraid that Shenfu would split from two into four, which would be disastrous. Therefore, they chose to surround without killing, intending to capture Shenfu alive.
Wishes are beautiful. The Shenfu who had split into two stopped in place.
Bang! Bang!
Shenfu exploded on his own, turning into large pieces of flesh that splattered everywhere. Seeing this, the surrounding Black Armor Guards couldn't help but feel fear. They were never afraid of powerful enemies, but such a bizarre situation was something they had never encountered before.
"Fire!"
After a sharp shout, a Black Armor Guard captain with glowing red palms—his weapon had melted into molten iron—pressed one hand onto the flesh on the ground.
Sizzle~
White smoke rose. Under the astonished gazes of everyone, this Black Armor Guard captain rapidly aged. His armor decayed into ash, and the aged skin that fell off formed a deathly white robe. His appearance became more and more like Shenfu's, eventually becoming identical to Shenfu.
This wasn't the most terrifying part. Just now, two Shenfus had exploded into large pieces of flesh. Now, these pieces of flesh were surging. Even a palm-sized piece could regenerate into a sub-body of Shenfu.
Where did the energy needed for regeneration come from? The answer was from the life souls he had connected to. Even from a great distance, energy could still be drawn through a method similar to faith transmission. Before leaving, Shenfu had connected to 142 life souls.
In just a few seconds, the rear courtyard was filled with a large number of Shenfus, all wearing deathly white robes with kind smiles on their faces.
"Lost lambs."
"Lost lambs."
"Lost lambs."
One Shenfu after another spoke. Hearing these overlapping murmurs, the surrounding Black Armor Guards looked dazed. They released their weapons and staggered toward the Shenfus in the encirclement.
"Lost lamb."
A Shenfu raised his hand and kindly pressed it onto a Black Armor Guard's face. This Black Armor Guard rapidly aged. In less than three seconds, his armor and clothes decayed and fell off, and a deathly white robe appeared on his body. He had turned into Shenfu's likeness. Not only that, but he also turned around, walked toward another Black Armor Guard, raised his hand, pressed it onto the other's face, and said:
"Lost lamb."
The situation spiraled out of control in a short time. Shenfu could neither be killed nor touched. He didn't have Xianji's flashy combat abilities, but just hearing him say the four words "lost lamb" was enough to make people lose their sanity, walking toward him in a daze to be assimilated.
"Kill! Every ability has its limits."
A Black Armor Guard captain shouted. The Black Armor Guards who still had their wits collectively slapped their ears until they heard a buzzing sound and couldn't hear anything, then charged toward the Shenfus in the field.
Outside the barrier, the Elf King and the five royal descendants watching had solemn expressions. In fact, the five royal descendants were somewhat stunned. They had seen many terrifying enemies, but one as bizarre as Shenfu was truly unprecedented.
"Your Majesty, we..."
Royal Descendant Eliton's words were cut off as the Elf King raised his hand to stop him. The Elf King looked at Su Xiao and asked, "Bai Ye, do you really have a way to kill Shenfu?"
"Yes."
"Then eliminate him."
"Are you sure?"
Su Xiao's "Are you sure?" made the Elf King frown.
The Elf King didn't know what method Su Xiao intended to use, but he guessed that even if he asked, Su Xiao would brush him off.
"Initially, Shenfu's individual count was 1. Then he split from 1 to 2. Now, visually estimated, there are over 3,000. If I haven't miscalculated, in about 10 minutes, his individual count will exceed 20,000."
Su Xiao wasn't entirely sure how Shenfu's ability worked. Others grew stronger by gradually becoming more powerful, but Shenfu was becoming increasingly bizarre.
"Eliminate him as quickly as possible."
The Elf King made his decision. He could already see that 20,000 Black Armor Guards seemed unable to handle Shenfu. The sealed terrain inside the barrier was Shenfu's absolute home ground.
Receiving the Elf King's definite answer, Su Xiao took out a [Blazing Sun's Wrath: Apollo] and activated it.
The moment Apollo was activated, a terrifying fluctuation spread out. The Elf King, the five royal descendants, and others were all greatly alarmed.
Seeing this, Su Xiao said:
"This is a large-yield explosive called Apollo. Its blast radius is 3,000 meters. Once activated, it cannot be stopped. The activation time is 15 seconds. Counting the time I've been speaking, there are now 10 seconds left."
Su Xiao looked completely unhurried.
"Your Majesty, there are still 20,000 Black Armor Guards inside!"
A royal descendant with an aquiline nose spoke solemnly. He could already see that if Apollo were thrown into the barrier, Shenfu would certainly die, but those nearly 20,000 Black Armor Guards would surely not survive either.
Su Xiao tossed the already detonated Apollo in his hand. His meaning was clear: either throw it into the barrier, or throw it in some random direction. If he "accidentally slipped" and didn't throw it into the sky, whoever got hit would be their own problem.
Su Xiao had many purposes for bringing out Apollo, summarized as follows: